Tourmaline Towers
] The Tourmaline Towers are a trio of extravagant superstructures assembled to become a Trilliant Ring enclave on the planet of Marquise, in the City of Mona, in the Pavvis system. Designed by Trilliant Originator, Ilya Peshkov and completed in 3200, the Towers are meant to embody the Trilliant spirit of perseverance and adaptability. A few of the towers' functions include Resort and Service facilities, Psitech Research Centers, and Shielded Grow Bays. The name of the Towers is derived from the mineral tourmaline that is found in abundance on Mona and was inlaid to the surface of the towers to give them a deep orange glow. The tallest of the towers, Aspect Alpha, stretches to 944 meters and supports an array of telemetry equipment to monitor the ice storms that flow across the planet. Alpha was the first of the structures to be constructed and served as a base of operations for the initial researchers on Mona as well as providing weather warnings. Alpha, like most buildings in the City of Mona, is raised to be above the 11 meter flood waters that occur regularly in the spring. The tower has foundations set deep into the rock of the planet and uses advanced grav-stabilizers to keep the weight balanced against the planet's weather. As much of the new research happens in Aspect Enlightenment, Alpha is now home to an eclectic mix of smaller research laboratories, experimental grow bays for the local flora, and much of the Trilliant residential hubs. The next largest tower, known as Aspect Fastness, holds Trilliant's newly opened resort facilities. The Fastness (as its attendants call it) contains all the amenities typical of a Trilliant Resort Hotel, however the Mona resort in particular specializes in providing nature excursions to various beautiful locales and untamed wilderness of the planet. Press Release, Trillia IX: The Trilliant Ring is pleased to announce the official opening of the Tourmaline Towers resort on the planet of Mona. Named for the elaborate inlay of local tourmaline crystals onto the surface of the towers, they glow with a warm orange light and welcome new visitors to the planet to enjoy all the delights that we can offer. Designed to be a scenic getaway from the stresses of the Sector, the Towers offer every manner of peace and comfort. Guests will be able to experience personalized hospitality prior to their arrival and throughout their stay. The resort itself though is meant to be more of a “base camp”. For the adventurous, the planet of Mona offers a variety of outdoor experiences that should challenge and amaze. You might take an excursion to the Nexus Park. A vast reserve of engineered wilderness, abundant with wildlife, all placed for your viewing or hunting pleasure. Or why not travel to one of Mona's beautiful untouched mountains for climbing and camping? You might even just relax and take in the view as Trilliant gives you a taste of the majesty of nature via our Airship tours. Please feel free to stop by your local Trilliant Facet location where you may experience a holodrome walking tour of all that Mona has to offer. Aspect Enlightenment houses Trilliant's extensive research laboratories on Marquise. Trilliant first came to Marquise over two centuries ago to investigate the rumors of psitech there. The rumors turned out to be true and ruins rich with psitech were found to abound on the planet. Trilliant at first sent this uncovered technology back to Trillia IX for study, however, after developing amenable relations with the local Psionic Academy, Trilliant decided on simply building their research stations on Mona itself and hiring on the locals to help with the technology's study. A manifold of other service buildings sustain the whole of the enclave. Transport depots make sure Trillians are able to go where they're needed, while a suspended tram line connects directly with the city network to bring in local workers. Security Centers, drone patrols and a local garrison of mercenary soldiers protect the workers and insure the research centers are secure. Administrative buildings equipped with the latest in cipher meshwork computational arrays keep all of it running and funded. The Towers have recently become the center of a great amount of activity for Trilliant. With an internal mandate to expand their operations in the outer rim and significant breakthroughs occurring in the psitech research being conducted on Mona, they have begun expanding the capabilities of the Tourmaline Tower Administrative facilities. With a recent outbreak of violence directed at the Academy itself it seems as though Trilliant are taking the initiative to offer those administrative services in aid to the local government. With the quantity of personnel being hired on to work at the Towers (and the Trilliant tendency to mix public leisure centers with highly secretive research headquarters) various rumors have begun to circulate about their activities on Marquise. Some talk of complex factories being installed on the new outer pillars. Others of drug testing facilities high in the upper levels of Alpha. A few visitors have spoken of seeing unfamiliar mechs moving about the isolated valleys of Marquise during their Airship Tour. One incident of particular embarrassment to Trilliant Security has an anonymous Lyran being quoted as saying “Trill has some super neat dress designs coming out with, like, these tiny psionic channelers sewn in. They're sweet.” With the quantity of these rumors it can only be suspected that Trilliant has thrown caution to the wind somewhat and has their eyes set on some objective. Trilliant Arrives on Mona'' (a short story)'' The Trilliant Ring came to Mona centuries ago pursuing rumors of psionic technology. They found there a land covered in ancient ice mountains, endless tundra and hard packed snow. They also found a long river valley located on the warm equator of the world, and in it a large settlement of monks. The monks lived there in a simple temple monastery, built atop a cluster of natural stone columns that seemed to be a common natural formation in the valley. To these monks the Trillians introduced themselves and inquired how they came to be here and what they knew of this planet. The monks informed them of the age of their monastery and the solemnity of their task: to aid those afflicted with MES to overcome their suffering and hone their spirit into a perfect moment. The Trillians listened and conveyed their own desire to find find perfection and asked if they may study some of the ancient lore of the temple. The bemused monks agreed and shared what they knew of the planet and the people that came before. Among the lore the monks provided to Trilliant was the location of nearby ancient ruins. Old facilities from before the Scream and the Great Isolation. At last they had found what they were after. At the location of the ruins a veritable treasure trove of artifacts were uncovered. The monks had taken whatever they could make use of over the years but there were many more items left untouched that had even the Trillians scratching their heads in wonder. Everything that could be safely extracted was boxed and packed away to be brought back to Trillia for further study. Many of the researchers themselves stayed behind to prepare an outpost for future expeditions but they made sure to send back along with the artifacts a one word message to be conveyed directly to the Founders: “Perfection”. As the Trilliant researchers on Mona set up their outpost a flurry of snow began to fall. A light dusting of flakes over the course of a few days. It seemed the equator, warm though it was in comparison to the rest of the world, was still visited by winter. Over the coming months though the snow grew heavier and drifts began to form. When at last the Trilliant ships returned to Mona they found their new research outpost buried in snow! The isolated researchers had made the most of their time and collected another enticing batch of psitech artifacts but their work was now becoming frustratingly hindered by the accumulating ice. The Trillians remained on Mona despite these difficulties, further fortifying their outpost against the elements, ever tantalized by the mysterious technology still being unearthed. Weeks went by without remit from the cold. The snow piles grew and grew until they once more surmounted the outpost walls. The isolated researchers struggled to locate any further technology. Finally, the Trilliant researchers found themselves completely sealed into their refuge. Entombed and months away from the return of their ship they begin to lament their fate. The pursuit of perfection has many risks and one of them was the end of ambition. To their great fortune however, relief found them. A group of monks had decided to look in on the strange outsiders and see how they we dealing with the unexpected snows. Long used to harsh climate of the planet the monks had developed a psionic technique to sheath themselves in warm air for when their duties required exposure to the elements. They took the Trilliant researchers and sheltered them in their monastery and while the Trillians awaited the return of their ship the monks spoke to the outsiders of their beliefs. They spoke of understanding their own fate as it is woven into the fate of the universe. Of withstanding and overcoming the trials set before them. Of taking the essence of the soul honed during these trials and forming it into their whole. To strive for the perfection of the soul and the attainment of enlightenment. The monks asserted that the Trilliant had come to this world with a weak spirit. They had dug greedily into the past and not prepared their souls for the ordeal they would face. The Trills listened and agreed they had come unprepared and let their ambition nearly be snuffed out. They had underestimated this world and would need to adjust their thinking. When their ship arrived the Trilliant researchers left behind their buried outpost. They gifted the monks with what provisions they would accept and then left the planet, leaving only a single satellite in orbit. Time passed and still the Ice Storm persisted. It was in fact, a full decade before the weather finally abated. The long delayed spring finally came and melted the ice. The river valley turned from white plain into a vast lake, and in time that too began to drain. One day a golden ship flew into the valley. It set down over the shimmering waters where it seemed to hover. Out of it poured a host of workers who began to lower a myriad of frames, beams and supports into the surrounding water. The Monks paddled over in their sampan to investigate the newcomers. They were surprised to find the golden strangers from a decade ago. Not just similar Trilliant but the exact same researchers. The Trills greeted the Monks, glad to see they had survived the long winter. Happy for the reunion, for they had been without outside contact for much of the storm, the monks nonetheless had to ask why the researchers had returned. The Trillians responded that it was not their way to give up no matter how many centuries a task took. They would persist and overcome the obstacles of the planet. They would create something lasting and of worth. A sentiment that resonated with the monks. And so the foundations were laid for Aspect Alpha, the first of the structures that were to become the the Tourmaline Towers Trilliant enclave. Aspect Alpha was built tall, with foundations buried deep into the bones of the planet and supports soaring high into the sky. It was sheathed in an enhanced metals and powerful force fields to repel the elements. At the very top an array of imaging and sensor equipment was installed to monitor developing weather conditions all across the planet. The Trilliant Ring had set themselves an ordeal and they meant to conquer it. Category:Mona Category:Trilliant Ring Locations